Sunday was another great day in the Lord! Thank you to Nelda Stockstill, Ken Hall, Carleen Page, Bob Gunn, Ethan Wilson, and Brad Replogle for the special music.

Wow! Our fall season has been awesome! We began October with Kenny Evans and ended it with our Fall Festival. In between we had a Senior Adult Luncheon with Charles Spurgeon, the ground-breaking ceremony for our gym, Mark Trammel in concert, and our Youth participated in a Field of Faith FCA event. So far in November we have had a Veterans emphasis with a luncheon where they were awarded special quilts of valor/honor, a youth Fall Retreat, The Hoppers in concert, our annual Thanksgiving Family Supper, a community Saturate Event where we hung door hangers on 640 doors, and we will end the month with our Associational Missions Director, Dr. Tony Inmon, preaching on the 27^th. December will be just as exciting with the annual Ladies Luncheon (3^rd), Children’s Christmas Concert (4^th), the Erwins Christmas Concert (10^th), Adult Choir Christmas musical (11^th), and the Handbells Christmas musical (18^th). We will also have our annual Christmas Eve Service. On Christmas Sunday, we will have one worship service at 10:30, and no Sunday School that day.

On top of all of that, consider that we met our goal of 200 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child for the first time! Folks, as I recount all of these ministries and events, I couldn’t help but think of how hard so many have worked to make all of these things possible. We couldn’t accomplish all we do without the hard work of so many of you who contribute on a regular basis. I personally want to say a special word of “THANKS” to your Staff, Brad Replogle, Rhys Everspaugh, Jennifer Drennan and Nadia Young. I know it could be said that they “get paid” to do these things. But, I observe their heart, their passion, their tireless efforts, and their love for this church that goes far beyond a paycheck. Thank you Staff, for a job well done!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Saturate Event this past Saturday, and to Rhys for organizing it and preparing the packets (with help from his crew!). We met at 7:30am for donuts, coffee, and juice. Then we prayed and received some instructions before everyone headed out. By about 8:30am we were done, with 640 bags hung on the doors of our neighbors in north Picayune! And, we praise God for holding the rain off us to enable us to complete this important community outreach.

I also want to say what a blessing it was to return to our annual Thanksgiving Family Fellowship Meal this past Wednesday night. It was our first Thanksgiving meal as a church family in 3 years, with the last being November 2019 – just before COVID hit. Thank you Brad, Jennifer, Nadia, Denise Messa and all who helped prepare and serve the meal, and to the drivers who delivered meals to the homebound. Also, thank you to Katie, Cynthia, and Roger for setting up the tables and chairs. Finally, thank you to all of our thespians who participated in the skit that was VERY loosely based upon the Good Samaritan! I did note that Tommie Tatum made a very believable “thug.”

Janice and I pray that you all have a very healthy, safe, and meaningful Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones. As I give thanks, RPBC will be at the top of my list!